Chalk (1997)

Directed by

Juliet May

Genre

sitcom

Country

United Kingdom

Length

2 seasons, 12 episodes

Rated

15

Rating

7.3 of 10 from 5 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This British sitcom follows a deputy headteacher who is constantly overwhelmed by the messes he and his oddball staff create at a comprehensive school. His wife and a new English teacher try to keep things from falling apart completely.

chaoticfreneticwrystress-inducingsillycringe-comedyfarceabsurd

What happens

Chalk is a British television sitcom set in a comprehensive school named Galfast High. Two series, both written by Steven Moffat, were broadcast on BBC1 in 1997. Like Moffat's earlier sitcom Joking Apart, Chalk was produced by Andre Ptaszynski for Pola Jones. The series focuses upon deputy headteacher Eric Slatt (David Bamber), permanently stressed over the chaos he creates both by himself and some of his eccentric staff. His wife Janet (Geraldine Fitzgerald) and new English teacher Suzy Travis (Nicola Walker) attempt to help him solve the problems. Because of the very good reaction of the studio audience, a second series was commissioned before the first had been broadcast. However, journalists were critical of the show, highlighting stylistic similarities to Fawlty Towers. Some members of the teaching profession and its unions objected to the negative representation of teachers and the comprehensive system. The second series did not receive a stable broadcast slot, with many episodes aired after 10pm. The first series was released on DVD in December 2008. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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